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Sir Harry Braustyn Hylton Hylton-Foster (10 April 1905 – 2 September 1965), was a British Conservative Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1950 until his death in 1965. He was also the Speaker of the House of Commons for the final six years of his life.
Sir Harry Hylton-Foster | |
|---|---|
 1960 portrait of Hylton-Foster dressed in the Speaker′s robes. | |
| Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom | |
| In office 20 October 1959 – 2 September 1965 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Harold Macmillan Alec Douglas-Home Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | William Morrison |
| Succeeded by | Horace King |
| Solicitor-General for England | |
| In office 18 October 1954 – 22 October 1959 | |
| Prime Minister | Winston Churchill Anthony Eden Harold Macmillan |
| Preceded by | Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller |
| Succeeded by | Sir Jocelyn Simon |
| Member of Parliament for Cities of London and Westminster | |
| In office 8 October 1959 – 2 September 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Harold Webbe |
| Succeeded by | John Smith |
| Member of Parliament for York | |
| In office 23 February 1950 – 18 September 1959 | |
| Preceded by | John Corlett |
| Succeeded by | Charles Longbottom |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 April 1905 Surrey, England |
| Died | 2 September 1965 (aged 60) London, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Audrey Brown |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
Early life
editHylton-Foster was born in Surrey, his father was a barrister, and he was educated at Eton College before reading jurisprudence at Magdalen College, Oxford, in which he graduated with a first-class degree. He was called to the bar by the Inner Temple in 1928, at which time he was also working as a legal secretary for Robert Finlay, 1st Viscount Finlay.
Military service
editDuring the Second World War, Hylton-Foster served in the Royal Air Force volunteer reserve. He also served as a deputy judge advocate, a military judge, in North Africa.
Political career
editAfter the end of the war, he stood as the Conservative candidate for the Shipley seat in the 1945 general election, but was unsuccessful. However, in the 1950 election he succeeded in taking the York seat, a seat he held for the next two elections before standing for the safer seat for the Cities of London and Westminster in the 1959 election. He was made King's Counsel in 1947.
In 1954, Hylton-Foster was named the Solicitor-General for England, receiving the customary knighthood. The fact that he was serving as solicitor general when he was named speaker of the House of Commons in 1959 was a source of some controversy, which was compounded by the fact that the opposition Labour Party felt they had been insufficiently consulted about the nomination. However, once the controversy died down, Hylton-Foster proved to be a popular and respected speaker.
Personal life, death and aftermath
editHylton-Foster was married to the former Audrey Brown.
On 2 September 1965, Hylton-Foster collapsed while walking along Duke Street, St James's. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead, aged 60, upon arrival at nearby St George's Hospital.[1] Audrey Hylton-Foster was given a life peerage as Baroness Hylton-Foster in his honour the same year, and was granted a life annuity by the Honourable Lady Hylton-Foster's Annuity Act 1965.
Hylton-Foster and his wife are buried together in the churchyard of St Barnabas Church, Ranmore Common, Surrey.
Arms
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References
edit- ^ "The Speaker Dies in London Street". The Times. 3 September 1965. p. 10.
- ^ "Speaker Hylton-Foster". Baz Manning. 10 September 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2022.